Red Zone Report: Why Purdue's Drives Stalled (and Succeeded) vs. Wake Forest

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Purdue remained perfect in the red zone in Saturday's game against Wake Forest, but there's still one significant problem. The Boilermakers are settling for too many field goals and are struggling to score touchdowns.

Barry Odom's team was 5-for-5 in the red zone in regulation against Wake Forest on Saturday, but three of those drives ended in field goals. As a result, the Boilers dropped a 38-36 double-overtime game to the Demon Deacons to fall to 1-1.

Let's take a look at those five red zone possessions from Week 2, breaking down why they stalled and why they were successful. This won't include the overtime sessions, as the ball is spotted just outside the red zone at the 25-yard line.

Sep 12, 2026; West Lafayette, Indiana, USA; Purdue Boilermakers running back Fame Ijeboi (2) scores a touchdown. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Q1) 11:10 — 1st-and-10 from the WF 17

Setup: Ryan Browne completed a 14-yard pass to tight end George Burhenn on Purdue's first drive of the game.

What happened: Offensive coordinator Josh Henson kept it simple on Purdue's opening drive after getting into the red zone. Following the Burhenn catch, the Boilermakers handed the ball off to Fame Ijeboi on consecutive plays. He broke open for a 14-yard touchdown on the second, capitalizing on the first red zone trip.

Analysis: The play-calls in the red zone weren't special, but they were effective. Ijeboi bounced outside on the second handoff, got a few good blocks from the offensive line, and outraced three Wake Forest defenders on his way to the end zone. It looked like Purdue learned its lesson from the previous week and was going to keep things simple inside the 20-yard line for the game.

Result: 14-yard touchdown run from Ijeboi.

Score: Purdue 7, Wake Forest 0

Fame Ijeboi finds the end zone for a Purdue TD! 🤩 pic.twitter.com/gWRYiu2oDe
— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) September 12, 2026

Q2) 0:48 — 1st-and-10 from the WF 19

Setup: A 4-yard run from Ijeboi gets Purdue inside the red zone for just the second time in the game, this time with less than a minute to play until halftime.

What happened: Because of the short clock, Purdue decided to try to score a late first-half touchdown through the air. Browne had success finding Fame Ijeboi, who caught two passes to pick up a total of 15 yards and give the Boilers a 2nd-and-goal from the 4-yard line. The Boilermakers couldn't capitalize, though, failing to pick up the yardage to get into the end zone. Browne missed on two passes, which forced a field goal for Jacobo Echeverria Lozano.

Analysis: This drive probably highlighted Browne's biggest blunder of the game. Going to the air was the right call with time dwindling down, but the quarterback was too focused on getting wide receiver De'Nylon Morrissette the ball. On 3rd-and-goal, he had wide receiver Xavier Townsend open in the middle of the end zone, which would have been an easy touchdown. Instead, the pass was incomplete and the Boilers had to settle for three points.

Result: 22-yard field goal from Lozano.

Score: Wake Forest 17, Purdue 10

Q3) 5:49 — 1st-and-10 from the WF 19

Setup: Tight end Luca Puccinelli hauled in an 18-yard reception from Browne to get Purdue into scoring position on its first offensive possession of the third quarter.

What happened: Purdue shot itself in the foot on first down, getting flagged for a false start that resulted in a 1st-and-15 from the 24-yard line. Browne hit receiver Chauncey Magwood for a 12-yard gain, getting most of that yardage back on first down. Browne threw two more passes on that drive, both incompletions. Once again, the Boilers had to rely on the leg of Lozano for points on an important drive.

Analysis: The penalty obviously didn't help the situation. If the Boilermakers had started the drive at the 19-yard line, Magwood's catch would have theoretically put Purdue at the Wake Forest at the 7-yard line with a fresh set of downs. But where the offense really misfired on this possession was not going to the ground. Purdue had two plays to pick up three yards, but didn't go to either Ijeboi or Travis Terrell Jr. in that situation. Surely one of those guys could've gotten three yards on two plays to keep Purdue's touchdown chances alive.

Result: 30-yard field goal from Lozano.

Score: Wake Forest 20, Purdue 13

Q4) 4:31 — 1st-and-10 from the WF 14

Setup: Receiver Asaad Waseem caught a 17-yard pass from Browne to get Purdue inside the Wake Forest 15-yard line. It was the best starting field position for a red zone opportunity for the game.

What happened: Just like the first possession of the game, Purdue decided to turn to its best offensive weapon at a critical juncture. Browne completed a pass to Ijeboi for seven yards, then the running back plowed ahead seven yards for a touchdown, carrying a few Demon Deacons across the goal line with him. Ijeboi flexed his muscle on that drive and kept the Boilermakers alive.

Analysis: Henson decided to keep the ball in the hands of Ijeboi, he seemed to be gaining confidence and momentum as the game progressed. Purdue had to have a touchdown on this drive, and Ijeboi wasn't going to be denied. Once again, the play-calling was basic, and it worked. The Boilers didn't appear worried about the clock and didn't rush anything offensively.

Result: 7-yard touchdown run from Ijeboi.

Score: Wake Forest 23, Purdue 20

IJEBOI AGAIN FOR PURDUE ‼️@BoilerFootball is making this one close late pic.twitter.com/QMywymLOpV
— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) September 12, 2026

Q4) 1:59 — 1st-and-10 from the WF 18

Setup: Ijeboi's best run of the afternoon came with the game on the line. He put showed off his combination of power, vision and elusiveness, picking up 25 yards to get the Boilers in the red zone on their final possession of regulation.

What happened: Purdue ran six offensive plays from the red zone in the final two minutes of the game. Henson wanted to find a balance of successful plays while winding down the clock, which worked fairly well. Because the Boilers had so much success with Ijeboi, he was essentially the only player who touched the ball, taking carries on five of the six plays. The running back got Purdue down to the Wake Forest 5-yard line. Then, Browne was forced to scramble on 3rd-and-goal, but only picked up two yards and allowed Lozano to come in and kick a tying field goal.

Analysis: Some criticized Henson and Odom for being too conservative at the end of the game. Purdue did the right thing, though. Ijeboi was the reason that the Boilermakers were even in that position and Wake Forest struggled to contain him. Put the ball in the hands of your best player and see what happens. Maybe the Boilers could have attempted a play-action play on one of those plays, but Purdue believed its best weapon was Ijeboi, and for good reason.

Result: Lozano makes a 20-yard field goal.

Score: Purdue 23, Wake Forest 23

Final thoughts

Most are going to point to Purdue's final red zone possession in regulation and say that Odom played for the tie. I don't believe that was the case. Ijeboi had made Wake Forest's defense pay all game and I think the Boilermakers hoped that the Deacons were worn down and he could find the end zone with only a few seconds remaining.

The gripes with Purdue's red zone trips come earlier in the game. If Browne had found Townsend standing in the end zone wide open at the end of the second quarter, the Boilermakers would have only trailed Wake Forest 17-14, and it would've given the team even more confidence heading into the locker room.

On the first possession of the third quarter, Purdue faced a 2-and-3 and a 3rd-and-3 from the 12-yard line and decided to pass on back-to-back plays. If Henson would have dialed up something for Ijeboi, maybe the Boilermakers could have kept their drive alive and ultimately punched it into the end zone.

If they score touchdowns in both of those situations, Purdue would have had a 21-20 lead in the third quarter and it's a completely different football game.

Purdue is scoring when it gets into the red zone, going 11-of-11 in its first two games. However, the Boilers have sored just five touchdowns and kicked six field goals. They have to find ways to get the ball across the goal line, especially as competition gets tougher.

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